How long on grower...

[DVTO2]

I just bought a bag of grower and then I noticed my young pullets are starting to lay (Yay!). Do they need to switch to layer right away or can I feed them the grower for a few weeks?

 

[Nupe]

You can finish off the grower feed. Just offer some oyster shell or some other calcium supplement.

...And grats on the eggs!!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

I just bought a bag of grower and then I noticed my young pullets are starting to lay (Yay!). Do they need to switch to layer right away or can I feed them the grower for a few weeks?

Here's a link you need to check out.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/feeding-at-different-ages
Congrats on the egg!!

 

[SunnySky]

It's definitely time to switch them to layer. If you're going to finish this bag of grower then I agree with Nupe that you must supplement because grower will not have enough nutrients to support healthy egg laying. Mine are always switched over to layer WELL before they start laying. I've never kept them on grower to POL. Ensure they get enough calcium right away.

Congrats on the first eggs!!!

 

[gander007]

I always finish the feed I have and rarely toss feed unless something is bad ...


One good calcium source in ground up chicken egg shells never toss them as you have already paid for them and crushing them up and feeding them back is just a money saver ....

 

[donrae]

I also never quit a bag of feed in the middle, unless it's a large bag of starter and a small batch of chicks, with more coming up.

Grower actually has more protein than layer. I believe the only thing layer has more of is calcium, which is easily added with egg shells or oyster shell. There's really nothing else magical about layer feed. I don't use layer myself, ever. I like the higher boost of protein and feed an all-in-one type that has a touch more. I just feed shells back and toss some oyster shell in the run from time to time. My hens lay tons of eggs and have nice, hard shells.